Death Note fanfic
by AnnaRing
Summary: Katherine, Elizabeth, Quinn, and Morgan are all in Kanto Japan for an exchange program. The four are best friends, but when something from their pasts resurfaces and Katherine's parent's murder is given more light, will they be able to band together and not become part of the chess game between L and Light, or will they fall apart, losing everything in the process? R&R, please!
1. Sighting

Chapter 1

Fire surrounded them, seeming to dance in the twilight. The four girls were screaming for help, and one last fire started, successfully killing them all.

I woke, screaming. We were on our plane to Kanto, Japan; and my friends looked at me curiously.

"The same dream. It's always the same dream." I told them.

"Well, I have no idea how to help you with that." Elizabeth, the crazed mangaka and my best friend, replied.

"We will be landing in ten minutes, please be seated." a female, nasally voice said over the intercom.

My friends and I, we were all Japanese majors and we were here for the year. We had gotten high enough test scores to get an all-expense paid exchange. Our housing was together, in an apartment complex next to a high school that happened to be the one that we're going to this fall.

"I can't believe that we're in Japan! This is amazing!" Morgan, the newest addition to our little group who we all happen to LOVE, laughed.

"I can't believe that we can take a Japanese art class, this will totally help with our art skills." Quinn was the artist that focused on animals, so she was very excited.

"I know that you guys will have lots of fun in that class," I smiled.

"But, Katherine. You can't just sit around the apartment all day, writing!" They all whined.

"I'll go to internet cafes and I'll write in the park. You know that I enjoy the outdoors just as much as writing, right?"

"Just stay safe, okay?"

"I will, now that we've landed, can we please get off the plane?"

They were so excited about this, that they hadn't even noticed that we were the only ones on the plane.

I grabbed my laptop bag and my art bag, which were my carry-ons. We got off the plane, and they all had their art bags, which I made, held tight against their chests.

After gathering our luggage, we hailed a taxi to our apartment.

Well, it was more of a loft, with two medium bedrooms, a semi-big kitchen with dated appliances,(so having fun in that), and one bathroom.

The common room was going to be the art/sewing/craft room. I was forced to do all the heavy lifting, since we had a top floor loft and no elevator. Apparently if I can lift 75 pounds, then I have super strength.

Within two hours, I was done getting my friends stuff on our floor. They had already unpacked my things, and had put them in my agreed room, the one with natural light.

I had a computer table and nightstand, as well as two twin sized beds, I would be sharing with Elza.

"This is really nice." I mused.

"Kat, Come make us food!"

"Fine, I'm coming." I called, looking out the window, seeing the sun setting slowly on the horizon.

a flash started before my eyes, and I saw the circle of fire surrounding my friends. I shook the image from my head.

"What do you want? I will not make dessert for dinner, Elza."

"AWWWWWW!" Said girl whined.

I smiled, but walked to the stocked fridge. I hummed the song that mom used to sing while she cooked.

"Do you miss them?"

"Of course. But I'll always have them, even if they're not here with me."

"I'm just happy that the guy was caught," Elza muttered.

"How does Chinese pork sound?" I asked.

"And what about the vegetarian?"

"Same ingredients, but with tofu."

"MMMMMM! This is why I'm glad that we have you here. You always make the best food!" Quinn, ever insane, shouted.

"Why don't you guys unpack and I'll get working on dinner?"

"Okay!" they rushed to their rooms, and I heard Elza scream as she realized that I had packed her manga posters in one of my bags.

"Katty! Omigosh, Katty! You packed my posters!" she screamed.

"That I did, but don't you touch that hammer!" I yelled.

I learned that you should never trust Elizabeth porter with any type of tool that can cause broken bones, bleeding, or any other type of bodily harm. How?

She put a nail through her pinky. The screams were loud, and I had to take her to the hospital.

"Dinner's ready!" I shouted.

"Good, I'm starved!" Quinn came in immediately, grabbed a bowl and held it out for her pork and rice.

I served them all up, Elza's tofu steaming and tasting like the pork, save for the actual meat.

"After this, I'm going to bed." I told them.

"You certainly look tired, even if you slept on the plane." Morgan said; her pork halfway to her mouth.

"That was for about twenty minutes." I used my chopsticks to pick up the sweet pork and rice and place it deftly in my mouth. Megan and I were the only ones who had achieved this skill in class; Elza said that we were double jointed.

"Ummm, Kat? Can you get us some forks?" Quinn was looking at Elizabeth, watching her poke at the tofu in her bowl with a chopstick.

"No! I must master this skill!" Elza shouted.

About ten minutes later, she gave up.

"Okay, since I cooked, you get to clean the dishes." I stood; my stomach full of pork and rice. After rinsing my bowl, and putting it in the small dishwasher, I walked to my room.

The covers were some of my mom's old quilts, and I had a big pile of them in the closet. I sighed, and began to change, pulling on my dad's old flannel shirt over my tank and sweats.

The only thing that I had left of them was their wedding rings, which I kept on a necklace next to a locket that held the last picture of us together.

My grandparents were taking care of my brothers, and they had moved up to our house, which was being paid for by the FBI. My parents were killed by one of their agents, who had gone insane. He was executed six months later.

I lay in my bed, and smelled my dad's scent. I felt their arms around me, and I usually did when I went to bed. I knew that they were there, protecting me.

My hand reached up to grasp the wedding rings, and I slept like that.

The nightmares were gone that night, and I dreamt of my parents, waiting with me and holding me tight. Protecting me from what could come.

I woke suddenly, after hearing Elza come in, and looked out the window.

It was late, or early. Barely even one in the morning.

"Did I wake you?"

"No. But I saw Mom and Dad. Talked to them even. I enjoyed it. They said that they were proud of how I handled their passing. I can still feel them here."

"Do you really think that they're here?"

"Yeah. You know I believe in guardian angels."

"If you believe, then I do too."

"Thanks; let's get to sleep, you have an art class tomorrow morning."

"Don't you mean this morning?"

I didn't even grace that question with an answer.

I slept, returning to my family, who I loved with every fiber of my being.

"Katty, wake up. We're heading to art class." I found my friends surrounding me, and I smiled at them.

"Thanks for telling me. Have fun! Don't let them near the X-acto knives Morgan!"

They all laughed at me. I sat up, and walked to the bathroom, that was supplied with shampoo and conditioner thanks to our gracious caretakers. I stepped in the shower and washed my hair, not being quick with my actions. After putting in the conditioner, I shaved my body and scrubbed it with the sweet smelling lather of my mother's favorite scent, Juniper.

I stepped out of the water, and turned it off after rinsing. I wrapped myself in a towel and walked to my room, grabbing the pair of jeans and t-shirt that I had packed.

I pulled on my underclothing and the outfit, then my running shoes.

I opted out of bringing my laptop to the park and chose one of my many blank notebooks that I used for writing an ongoing story about a girl whose circumstances were much different than mine. She had both parents and focused more on her connection to God than catching murderers.

I walked out of the apartment after locking up and headed to a park that the taxi had passed yesterday.

I found a bench under a sakura tree, the green leaves shading my face.

The sounds of the peaceful place were all I could hear, relaxing me. I began to write about a girl whose name was Naomi.

Hours passed, until I felt my stomach growl for some food. Then did I look up.

What I saw frightened me. There was a boy, my age, with a thing of my nightmares.

It was the monster that haunted me when I was little, after touching a piece of paper that had the names of bad people on it, people who had tried to kill kids like me. A police officer had shown it to me, after I asked what was going on during a lockdown. He turned out to be the killer of my family

Black wings, blue skin, and red pupiled eyes. Many nights had I woken screaming because of this thing. It wasn't something that you could forget. The last time I saw it was when the thing appeared at the trial of the murderer, who looked at me with contempt.

I wanted to scream, yell, but my curiosity got the better of me. I had to know what that monster was doing, and why was he following that boy around. I followed them, right to what I presumed to be the boy's house. A few times, the thing looked back to not find me, only a sea of people going about their daily business. I felt someone's eyes on my back as I ran home, freaked out, scared and worried.

I thought the horror was over. I thought it was done. I thought I was free.


	2. First Move

Chapter 2

I came home, my friends still out. I rushed to my bed, where the soft pillows awaited me.

There was a knock at the door, but I just ignored it. I had no want for visitors when the thing of my nightmares had come back.

The person persisted, practically banging on my door. I pulled on dad's flannel shirt, protecting myself, before going to get it.

It was my friends, and I released a breath of air that I didn't know I was holding.

"Your dad's shirt... What happened?" Quinn looked at me curiously.

"Sit down, there's a lot I need to tell you."

After we were all situated at the table, I started the story of what I had seen.

"The monster that I told you guys about, the one that I had nightmares about? I saw him again. In the park, following this boy," I muttered, squeezing the rings tightly.

"The thing? Like that we all saw after the... guy shoved the paper in our hands?" Morgan asked.

"Yeah. That one."

"We agreed that we were just seeing things, but you..."

"I saw him every night, and it was like he... looked at me and just knew that we would be seeing each other again. After Mom and Dad died, well, that was the last time I saw him. When the guy was executed, it was like a weight was gone."

"You look exhausted. Don't make dinner tonight. I'll take care of it." Elza placed a comforting hand on my arm.

"Thanks guys."

"TAKEOUT!" Quinn shouted.

I had to laugh. None of them could cook, but they would sure work at making my life easier.

After some Kung pao chicken and fried rice, we all went to bed.

I tossed and turned, seeing the boy and the monster advance towards me.

"She can see you, can't she Ryuk?"

"I haven't seen her for years. Certainly has grown up hasn't she?"

"No..." I moaned. They came closer and then I woke, screaming.

"Katty?" My friends all came in from the common room, and found me with my covers strewn around the room.

"Nothing, just a bad dream."

"Why not make some tea? Then we'll all sleep in the common. How does that sound?" Morgan suggested.

"Yeah, that sounds nice. Thanks for being here."

I stood, dragging a quilt behind me. After putting hot water in a cup and grabbing a jasmine tea bag, I turned round. I found the Monster behind the microwave.

I gasped, and the thing smiled before fading away.

"Katty? What's going on?" Quinn asked.

"I saw it. It was right there."

"Come on, let's get some sleep. We'll figure it out tomorrow." Elza made herself a cup of tea, strawberry, and grabbed the sugar.

After placing two cubes in the cup, I sat and sipped the sweet, calming tea.

"We learned some new techniques. I figured out how to do shading correctly for traditional art," Elza said over her cup of strawberry tea.

"Good for you." I smiled weakly.

We spent the next hour or so sipping tea and talking about nothing in particular.

Of course, I knocked out first, dreaming of my parents once again.

"Hey, Chicka, wake up. We're going out for breakfast, and you are coming with us." I was pulled up, and forced to change into a silky top with cherry blossom designs on it, white petals falling on a blue background.

"We found this place for lunch; it has amazing food, and a very cute waiter." Elizabeth gestured to Morgan, who blushed bright red at this.

"Sounds great." I grabbed the jacket that held my notebook and a few pencils to get my mind off the past night. My friends looked at me with a strange expression but didn't say anything.

We walked down the street, hearing the usual sounds of workers heading to their respective jobs.

I spotted the restaurant, which had a green front, and had some strange herb as a name. I smiled as I entered, smelling the sweet smelling jasmine air. I saw tea in customer's hands as well as some breakfast items, like miso and rice, not to mention grilled fish and many other delicacies.

"Hi Hiro!" Morgan called a bit too cheerily. He smiled at her, and led us to a table.

"Who's your friend?" he asked in Japanese.

"I'm Katherine. The writer," I held out a hand in a shaking gesture, and he took it.

"Hey, Hiro! After you're done flirting can you please get me some tea?" a voice, much like the one from my dream, called.

I looked up and kicked Quinn under the table.

"What?"

"That's the kid from yesterday." I muttered. Hiro seated the guy at the table right next to us, where I saw the thing again.

HE smiled and waved his hand. And that thing smiling is not a pretty picture, pointy teeth and all.

"That's the thing? I haven't seen that guy for years." Elza muttered.

"None of us have. He's still as scary as last time." Morgan replied.

"Sorry 'bout that, but Light here doesn't understand the word Busy. What can I get you? Tea, soda, juice?"

"Jasmine tea please." I said, and he smiled at me.

"You prefer to have a clear head. That's very respectable."

"Apple juice."

"Strawberry tea."

"Water."

"Okay then, I will have those right out. The teas will take a bit longer, that alright?"

Elza and I nodded and I pulled out the blue leather bound book to write.

"Katty, put the book down."'

I ignored them. I was wrapped up in Naomi and her family, telling her story of surviving American high school.

"Okay, looks like we need an intervention." And the book was taken from my hands, which immediately tried to grab for it back. To no avail, even my pen was taken.

"Guys." I said in a very dangerous voice.

"Be sociable."

"Don't you dare talk to me about being sociable, Elizabeth."

"Please, just talk to us. Have you called your brothers?"

"Yeah. I called them while you were out."

"Okay, you know we worry right?"

"Yeah, I do know. You just don't need to. I'm the one who does the worrying. I am half afraid that if I come home I might find that you guys have died of food poisoning."

"Why do you expect that?"

I raised an eyebrow, and they knew exactly.

"One time."

"One time that made me positive that I had to come here before I wake up on the morning of another funeral."

Hiro made his reappearance and handed us our drinks.

"What do you want to eat?"

"Miso."

"Just rice for the rest of us."

"Okay then, One miso and three bowls of rice."

The boy, Light turned to look at us, or more specifically, me. I had ordered the miso, and I happened to like the stuff. My friends on the other hand...

Lifting the tea to my lips, I distracted myself, tasting the sweet tea that calmed my nerves.

"You can see them can't you?" he muttered, loud enough that me and my friends can hear.

"We all can." I muttered back, and I could feel his surprise.

"Meet me at the park where you were yesterday."

"They have a class, but I'll be there."

"You are very different."

He stood, leaving a tip on the table.

We ate hurriedly, my friends because of their class, and me because I was getting some answers.

They gave me back my blue book, and I headed towards the park.

Light was standing there, the monster gone.

"What's your name?" he questioned, studying my pale freckled face.

"I know what the book does; I'm just Katherine to you."

"Smart. Now, I know that you followed me to my house. Why?"

"Wouldn't you follow the monster that disappeared after the night your parents were killed? I've been seeing that thing for the past thirteen years."

He had evidently not expected that. His eyes widened, taking in the somewhat scarred skin of my hands, from when I threw that cursed notebook into the fire.

"How were they killed?"

"Murderer. He made me touch a piece of the Death Note, all of my friends did, back when we were five."

He sat on the bench, dumbstruck.

I sat too, resting my head on the back of the bench, hand playing with the rings. he suddenly reached his hand out, stopping my own.

"What happened to the man?"

"Killed in the fire that he set to destroy the evidence. I was almost caught in it too. My brothers were happy that I came back. I'm all that they have left."

He pried my fingers apart, finding the wedding bands, cupped in my careful hands.

With that he knew, knew that I was there, that I had tried to save them. he fingered the band of my father's ring.

He let it fall back in my hand. I stood, ready to leave.

"Hold it," he stood, turning me to face him.

"Yes?"

"Meet me here tomorrow. Noon."

I looked at him with the same expression of surprise that he gave me when I told him about my parents.

"Okay. I'll see you then."

I began to walk, feeling his eyes on me.

Light~

"What are you planning to do to her?" Ryuk asked.

"Nothing; she seems like an interesting piece in this game between L and I. I'm curious to how this will be played. This just made her a queen in the chess game."


	3. Caution Serves Best

The walk home was quiet, perfect; I needed some time to think these things through. My friends still weren't home yet, and I was glad. These nightmares were too vivid, and I wasn't sure if I was awake or not.

The thing is; I wished that this was all just a nightmare. That I would wake up and hear my mom and dad talking in the kitchen while making pancakes, with my brothers playing whatever games they had made up that morning. I wanted that so much, but the only way I'd ever see them was if I was gone, if I had woken up from the nightmare called Life.

I began making dinner, sesame noodles. It was about five in the afternoon, and life was calm in the apartment, the exact opposite of my mind.

I had just started setting the table when they got home. Elza laughed in delight of the recipe that I used for dinner.

"What was the meeting like?" Quinn asked through a mouthful of food.

"Creepy. He asked me about my family. How I could see the monster."

"Well, we all know how the last person who used that thing died." Elza muttered.

An uncomfortable silence fell across the table. We all were reliving the nightmare that was the last eleven years. Mom and Dad had been like second parents to them.

This kid had no idea of the pain he was inflicting on others. Something warned me against becoming too chummy with him; that thing being the fact that he could kill me by writing my name on a piece of paper.

"What do we do? Avoid him?" Morgan suggested.

"We should at least try; this kind of thing never turns out well." Elza muttered. I found myself agreeing with her.

"He's a college student. We won't be seeing him all the time if we can help it."

"Let's turn in, this is way too disturbing, and we'll be able to think clearly in the morning." I said.

True we did turn in, but none of us got a good sleep. In fact everyone had one of those nightmares.

We sat in the common, but none of our minds were cleared.

"What should we do?"

I looked around the group.

"We stick together. You guys have the day off from classes, and we'll go grocery shopping before we meet Light. We have to stay out of his way, or I think something might happen."

We got prepared for the day, and headed out, a sense of dread in our hearts.


End file.
